This short film is too cute it will make you fall in love “in a heartbeat”

It’s rare to see an animated film about two boys starting to realize that they like each other—or simply, where homosexuality is the main theme of the story. But this short film entitled “In a Heartbeat” dares to break barriers and become a game-changer just to show the viewers that a love story is about the love being shared and not the gender of the lovers.

In a Heartbeat is an animated short film created by Beth David and Esteban Bravo as their thesis at the Ringling College of Art and Design. It’s a story about “a closeted boy [who] runs the risk of being outed by his own heart after it pops out of his chest to chase down the boy of his dreams.”

The film shows the budding attraction of a boy towards a person of the same sex. But he is afraid to come out as gay and be scrutinized by the homophobic society we, unfortunately, still live in. “The reason so many people are afraid to come out as gay is because they are used to seeing straight relationships all around them which makes them feel like they’re weird and out of place…” said one YouTube commenter.

In a Heartbeat is an attempt to tell everyone that being in love with someone of the same sex is as “normal” as it is for two people of the opposite sex. After all, love is love.

Just a few days after its release, the film went viral with millions of views on YouTube and many people are praising it—saying it’s “the best thing that happened in 2017.”

People who are saying that this kind of film is not normal should really start defining what “normal” really is to them. Some parents are saying that the film is inappropriate for kids and it might influence them to be gay or at least explore the possibilities of being one. But what they should realize is that, more than anything, their opinion and judgment towards the gay community is what influences their kids’ perception on homosexuality.

Watching a film about being gay doesn’t make you gay. Being gay isn’t an abnormality or a disease that needs to be cured—Homophobia is.